SINGAPORE: Pope Francis is expected to visit Singapore as part of a trip to Asia later this year, according to Catholic publications, although there has been no confirmation from the Church in Singapore.
Archbishop Paul R Gallagher, the Vatican’s Secretary for Relations with States, told America magazine that the Pope’s trip to Singapore, Indonesia, Timor Leste and Papua New Guinea would take place in September.
Vietnam could be added to the list, he said in a Mar 26 article by America magazine, which is published by the Jesuits in the United States.
In January, two other publications – EWTN Vatican and Radio Veritas Asia – reported that the Pope is likely to visit Singapore in August.
In response to CNA’s queries, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore said on Tuesday (Apr 2) that while it is aware of the “unconfirmed reports”, it had no confirmation at this time that the Pope is coming to Singapore.
The last time a pope visited Singapore was in 1986 when John Paul II made a five-hour stop as part of his Asia-Pacific tour that included Bangladesh, New Zealand and Australia.
Thousands attended a papal mass at the National Stadium on Nov 20, 1986.